Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei is being evaluated for a head and neck injury after being taken off the field in an ambulance following a scary collision. The incident took place late in stoppage time in the Sounders’ 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew on Sunday.
In the 97th minute of the match, Columbus was awarded a free kick outside the box. But during the set piece, Frei was hit in the head with a Columbus player’s knee. The keeper instantly went down, with his Sounders teammates quickly calling over the medical staff.
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After the collision, Frei appeared to go into a fencing response — a position taken by the body in reaction to head trauma or a concussion — indicating that the head injury may be severe.
Both teams gathered near Frei in the box before the ambulance was driven on the field. The Sounders crowd began to cheer Frei’s name as he was loaded into the ambulance.
After the game, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer told reporters that Frei was being evaluated for a head and neck injury, though he was “alert” when he was being loaded into the ambulance.
“As soon as we get a definitive, a real, good clarity on the extent of the injury, we’ll give you more. I don’t want to speculate. He is going to the hospital, but he is fine,” Schmetzer said. “I’m very happy for our medical staff because they did a good job to be careful. We can’t underestimate that type of stuff.”
Despite the collision occurring so close to the end of the game, the game clock continued to tick for another five minutes before it was finally called off. Schmetzer could be heard asking officials to “just stop the game,” with Columbus coach Wilfried Nancy agreeing, before the referees blew the final whistle in the 103rd minute.
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The Crew were awarded a corner kick prior to Frei going down, meaning that the kick would have likely been the final play of the game.
Postgame, Schmetzer began to tear up while thanking Nancy for agreeing to end the game.
“Wilfried, I appreciate what he did,” Schmetzer said, visibly emotional. “Because the ref wasn’t gonna stop the game. And everybody knew the game should have been stopped. So, good on him. So thank you Wilfried.”
After the game, both MLS and the Crew shared their thoughts are with the keeper.
Frei, 39, has been a staple of the Sounders in goal since joining the team in 2014. The Swiss keeper has led Seattle to two MLS Cups and the CONCACAF Champions League championship while earning an All-Star nod and the 2016 MLS Cup MVP.
Sunday’s game was supposed to be a highly-anticipated rematch of the 2020 MLS Cup, and for a while it lived up to the hype. Columbus striker Diego Rossi struck first in the 27th minute before Sounders forward Paul Rothrock equalized off a perfect pass from Kalani Kossa-Rienzi. Both sides picked up plenty of chances to pull ahead up until the final minutes before the game came to a sobering end.
